Deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes decreased between August 2024 and July 2025, according to data from the Amazon Legal Deforestation Monitoring Project by Satellite (Prodes) of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
In the Amazon, forest loss fell by 11.08 percent compared to the previous period, from August 2023 to July 2024, while in the Cerrado it declined by 11.49 percent.
The data were released on Thursday (Oct. 30) by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.
They show that 5,796 km² were deforested in the Amazon. This is the third-lowest rate in the historical series, which began to be measured in 1988, and the third consecutive year of reduction.
The states that contributed the most to deforestation were Pará, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas, which together accounted for 80 percent of all deforestation in the Legal Amazon.
Tocantins registered the largest proportional decrease, with 62 percent. The decrease can be explained by the fact that the state has a smaller forest area than the other members of the Legal Amazon. Amapá saw a 42 percent drop, while Roraima experienced a 37 percent decline.
Rondônia had a 33 percent reduction, and Acre registered a 27 percent decrease, continuing a regional trend since 2021. Maranhão's decline was 26 percent, while Amazonas recorded 16.93 percent.
"Even though deforestation has decreased, one notable concern is the increase in areas affected by progressive degradation, including large forest fires that can lead to forest collapse," stated Cláudio Almeida, coordinator of the BiomasBR Program at INPE.
He highlighted a 25.05 percent increase in deforestation in Mato Grosso, a state heavily affected by fires.
Regarding the Cerrado, deforestation reached an official rate of 7,235.27 km², representing an 11.49 percent decrease compared to the period from August 2023 to July 2024. This marks the second consecutive year of reduction, following five years of increase.
Data from Prodes show that the highest percentage of deforestation occurred in the Matopiba área - a frontier region of agribusiness encompassing the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia. Together, these states accounted for 78 percent of all deforested area in the biome.
The largest contributors to deforestation were Maranhão, which accounted for 28 percent of all deforested area; Tocantins, with 21 percent; Piauí, with 19 percent; and Bahia, with 11 percent.
The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, said the data show the government's commitment to achieving zero deforestation by 2030.
"The reduction of deforestation in the Amazon for the third consecutive year under this administration, and in the Cerrado for the second consecutive cycle, confirms that the environmental agenda is a priority and a cross-cutting issue in President Lula's government. This is fundamental for the country's contribution to tackling climate change globally, directly benefiting Brazilians, who are already experiencing, to varying degrees, the growing impacts of global warming through extreme events, for example," said the minister.
According to her, combating deforestation and protecting the environment are prerequisites for Brazil to achieve economic development on a sustainable basis.
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Luciana Santos, highlighted that progress in monitoring mechanisms is fundamental for supporting actions to prevent and combat deforestation.
"These results are not by chance. The excellence of INPE and the precise monitoring we carry out form the foundation that allows us to understand the reality of our territory and, from there, support the actions of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change in this highly fruitful partnership," said Santos.